Some recent listening

February 3, 2017

I have been listening to a lot of good stuff recently and I should share more often.

For now I’m going to mention two; one a BBC Radio Drama the other a long standing US podcast.

Each afternoon BBC Radio 4 broadcasts a drama at 14:15 (GMT) and “Comment is Free” (here, but will not be available after the end of February) embraces the “hive mind” bubble of social media, a journalist who sees his job to ratchet up every controversy and he does not care what people think about him or what he is doing. Before and after the murder we hear the ever changing, facile and shallow thoughts of the “hive mind”. There are two reasons I enjoyed this unique production. First, the subject – listen and recognise. It is a strong comment on social media. The other – and as a radio lover I would argue the more important – is the production, the use of multiple voices, how the chatter and Greek chorus are projected in audio – in what is normally visual – and how that audio was gethered.

The second is Recode Media with Peter Kafka which I should have been listening to a long time ago, but I have only recently subscribed.

This edition is a long interview with Jay Rosen. “NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen talks with Recode’s Peter Kafka about how the media, and the reporters who cover the White House in particular, should react to President Trump, who has frequently been hostile to their profession.”

Rosen recently relaunched his website PressThink where he has been writing about Trump and how the press should respond and behave at this time. For example he suggests that if the White House continues its hostility to the press: “Send the interns: Put your most junior people in the White House briefing room. Recognize that the real story is elsewhere, and most likely hidden.” And follow Jay Rosen

And while you are at the Recode Media site, check the fascinating interview with Henry Blodget